2001. 113 Minutes. Rated R
Quote: Sometimes I doubt your commitment to sparkle motion
I can’t even guess what stupid crap I was watching when this film came out. I know I was in college for what would have been all of about ten minutes before dropping out, packing up all my stuff, and moving to Florida all alone. Maybe if I’d seen this masterpiece, I would have been seeing the world from a different angle. I digress. Several years would go by before I’d discover it through a friend. Thank spaghetti monster for the Indie Rock Ranger
Donnie Darko was Jake Gyllenhaal’s coming out party. He’d made some kid stuff beforehand, but it was just that: kids stuff. This movie had everything a young, philosophy major (hold your tongue) could possibly feast on. Alas, I was in Florida, working for a mouse on slave wages. It wouldn’t be until post college I got to experience this gem.
This indie film tells the story of a boy and his journey through time, through his mind, and through the darkness that lurks in all of us small town kids. Donnie’s just a teenager. He’s got some issues, he’s having some therapy, taking some pills, nothing too major. He sees imaginary rabbits that tell the future, you know, the usual.
He goes off in the middle of the night, with no control over his actions, no knowledge of what he did, or why he did it. He often feels good about what went on, when–and if-he figures it out the next morning, when he wakes up in the strangest of places.
The best thing about this guy is that… all right I’ll back up. I’m not telling you anything about this movie, really, am I? It’s about a boy… no, it’s about a family, and their reactions to the middle child. He’s got a case of the Mondays, but he has them every day.
Donnie goes to school in a haze, goes to therapy embarrassed, and questions everything there is in search of something real. Does he find it? Therein lies the real meat and potatoes of this film. It’s science fiction, philosophy, comedy, and sheer darkness. Not horror, or violence; just darkness.
The supporting cast shows off some solid acting throughout, all in roles that surprised me. Noah Wyle (who is not a librarian) as a time travel happy science teacher; Drew Barrymore, as an earthy crunchy hippie English teacher, Jake Gyllenhaal’s sister Maggie stars as Donnie Darko’s sister, and Jena Malone, who plays an angsty teen so perfectly that it makes Kristen Stewart’s role in Twilight look like she’s singing in the rain. Plus, the Swayze, acting… not so Swayze. Let’s throw Beth Grant in here too. A fabulous character actor.
Long and short of it — they showed up and put in the work. It’s all backdrop for Jake Gyllenhaal though. The thing that is so great about this kid is the way he dives deep into roles. They are always super emotional characters, and I usually love them. For me Jake’s greatest hits are as good as they come for any A lister these days.
Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, Prisoners, and Nightcrawler belong on your list at the very least.
The List: A Cut Above
- Homage
Donnie Darko pulls excellent things into the fold for viewers to take away. It produces lots, from a great soundtrack with stuff like Echo & The Bunnymen on it, to a quick Back to the Future reference, and also some great literary referrals like Graham Greene. It’s different than your average name dropping. The film effectively pays homage to everything they it maybe wishes it could be, or wants to be. It’s an underground, classical, poetic, time travel adventure. Yes, no topic is too big or small, they even cover The Smurfs, the creation of Smurfette, and the importance of male reproductive organs with a classic line.
- Independence
This movie stands tall for me as a dark juggernaut (my friends in the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film agree). It was shot in 28 days, and failed to break even in it’s open grosses. It almost went directly to DVD release, but instead, held off for an international release about a year later. A few years later Ashton “the world’s worst actor” Kutcher would make a wannabe film called The Butterfly Effect. Call it marketing, or the work of Satan, whatever you’d like, it got all the attention that Donnie Darko deserved. Happily, nobody ever mentions that crap, whilst Donnie Darko has emerged as a cult classic in the years since it’s release.
- The Director’s Cut
This film has a director’s cut that truly changes things. It gives us a ton more information on time travel then the original version. They decide to lay out just lots of additional educating on the topic, not to mention a much deeper look into Roberta Sparrow, her novel, and the meaning behind 28:6:42:12
You don’t know what I’m talking about? No problem. Just watch it. In preparation for writing this, I watched both versions… what the hell right? Honestly… both are different, and I think they work together very well. While I’m harping on this point… Superman II sucks, and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is amazing.(end of The List)
This film deserves your attention. We get a chance to see all the world’s troubles, hidden under a simple hooded sweatshirt and get to see Jake Gyllenhaal seriously consider tearing the world apart. Keep an eye out for Seth Rogan.
